Bird feeder

ABSTRACT

A bird feeder having one or more of feeding slots, filling cap, perch support, and rain guard is disclosed. The feeding slots preferably include a narrower slot for smaller seeds and a larger slot for a larger seeds. The filling cap preferably includes a dome top. The perch support is preferably attached to the bird feeder by a plurality of spokes. Preferably, one of the spokes has a diagonal portion and a horizontal portion. The rain guard is located above the feeding ports.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a bird feeder and, moreparticularly, to a bird feeder that can be used to feed multiple typesof seeds simultaneously.

2. Background of the Invention

Typical wild bird sunflower seed feeders fall into two broad categories.The first category includes bulk or “free choice” feeders that simplyhave the seeds freely available to the birds in an open display. Thesecond category uses a wire mesh through which the birds must pull theseeds.

Both categories of these bird feeders have shortcomings. Bird feeders ofthe first categories do not mimic natural feeding (a “hunt and seek”activity) that is desired by wild birds. Another shortcoming of thesefeeders is that they allow seeds to become water saturated in rain.

Wild birds appear to prefer the second categories of bird feeders partlybecause the wire mesh provides a more natural “hunt and seek” feedingmethod. Nonetheless, these mesh feeders are limited to feeding only onetype of sunflower seeds. This is because the two major types ofsunflower seeds used in wild bird feeding differ radically in size. Thegray striped seeds can be nearly twice the size of the black oil seeds.Thus, a wire mesh that is suitable for the larger gray striped seedswould allow the smaller black oil seeds to slip through freely,resulting in much loss of seeds. Smaller wire mesh, on the other hand,would hold the black oil seeds but would not allow the majority of thegray striped seeds to pass through at all. Furthermore, all wire meshfeeders suffer from severe exposure of the seeds to rain, which causesspoilage of the seeds.

Accordingly, there is a need for a bird feeder that can be used to feedboth the larger gray striped seeds and the smaller black oil seedssimultaneously.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a bird feeder that can be used to feed large andsmall seeds simultaneously or singly. An embodiment of the inventionincludes a smaller feeding slot and a larger feeding slot. The smallerand larger feeding slots are configured to allow passage of smaller andlarger seeds, respectively. In one embodiment, the smaller slots arehorizontal and the larger slots are vertical. In another embodiment,both the smaller and the larger slots are horizontal and the larger slotis located below the smaller slot. A preferred embodiment of theinvention includes a bottom filling cap. The bottom filling cap can beremoved from the base to allow refilling of the seeds. Another preferredembodiment of the invention includes a perch support. Still anotherpreferred embodiment of the invention includes a rain guard locatedabove the feeding slots.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an exploded view of an exemplarybird feeder of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a perspective view of the birdfeeder fully assembled.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an alternative container of thebird feeder.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a perspective view of an exemplarybase of the bird feeder.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an alternative base of the birdfeeder.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a perspective view of an exemplaryfilling cap of the bird feeder (as seen from the bottom).

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a perspective view of anotherexemplary bird feeder of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an alternative filling cap of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention provides a bird feeder that can be used to feedbirds by presenting multiple sizes of seeds simultaneously or singly.For example, the invention can be configured to allow the most popularcommercial types of sunflower seeds to be fed, either as single seedstype, or as a mixed blend. In an exemplary implementation, a bird feederof the invention may be used for gray striped or black oil sunflowerseeds, or a mixture of both. The invention can be configured to feedother types of sunflower seeds. The design also mimics the naturalfeeding activity of “hunt and seek,” making it very desirable by wildbirds. The bird feeder can also be configured for use by many differentspecies of birds at the same time, species whose physicalcharacteristics normally preclude them from all using the same feeder.

An embodiment of the invention includes one or more feeding slots, abottom filling cap, a perch support, and a rain guard. The feeding slotscan be configured to accommodate all types of commercial sunflowerseeds. Furthermore, the feeding slots can be positioned to accommodatevarious species of birds at the same feeder. The bottom filling cap ofthe invention enables maximum refilling of the bird feeder. In addition,the bottom filling cap facilitate seeds to fall near the feeding slots.The perch support is placed to accommodate birds of most sizes to feedcomfortably. The rain guard protect the seeds from rain. Each of thesefour features are further described below.

As shown in FIG. 1, feeder 100 of the invention includes container 110,base 120, and filling cap 130. These three members of feeder 100 can becompletely separated from each other as depicted in FIG. 1. Feeder 100is one of many embodiments of the invention.

When fully assembled (see FIG. 2), base 120 is mated with container 110along upper perimeter 122, and with filling cap 130 along lowerperimeter 124. Perimeters 122 and 124 define the upper and lower limitsof wall 121, respectively.

In another embodiment (not shown), container 110 and base 120 can bemade as a single unit, i.e., they are permanently attached to eachother. In still another embodiment (not shown), filling cap 130 may beconfigured in the form of a permanent bottom to base 120 and refillingis done by detaching container 110 from base 120.

Container 110 is configured to hold seeds (not shown) in cavity 112.Preferably, cavity 112 is configured to store about two pounds of seeds.Container 110 may have any shape. For example, container 110 may have adome shape such as container 310 shown in FIG. 3. Alternatively,container 110 may be configured to have a more conventional cylindricalshape as shown in FIG. 1. Container 110 may be configured to haveanother shape. Container 110 may be attached to base 120 by means ofmating threads, by adhesive, by screws, by rivets, or any means ofsnap-together or press-fit.

As shown in FIG. 4, base 120 includes one or more feeding ports (slots123, 125, and 126) on wall 121. Preferably, there are multiple types offeeding ports. As depicted in FIG. 4, the feeding ports can include oneor more of narrow horizontal slot 123, vertical slot 125, and widehorizontal slot 126. Furthermore, as depicted in FIG. 5, the feedingports may also include one or more of diagonal slot 127 and slot ofanother shape 129. Slot of another shape 129 can be a circle as shown orit may have the shape of a diamond, star, triangle, ellipse, or thelike. Preferably, slot of another shape 129 can be dimensioned so thatit is an elongated triangle, an elongated oval, an elongated diamond, anelongated ellipse, or the like.

Feeding ports 123, 125, and 126 are preferably roughly a rectangle inshape with oval ends as depicted in FIG. 4. Feeding ports 123, 125, and126 are configured to allow passage of seeds as desired. For example,feeding ports 123, 125, and 126 could be large enough to allow passageof any commercial sunflower seeds including both the gray striped andthe black oil seeds. Alternatively, they could be configured to allowpassage of mostly the smaller black oil seeds, but not the larger graystriped seeds. In some embodiments, they are configured so the lowerslots allow passage of both types of seeds, while the upper slots allowpassage of mostly the black oil seeds.

It is preferable that each of narrow horizontal slots 123, on ahorizontal orientation, has a shorter dimension (the width) of about0.20 inch and a longer dimension (the length) of about 20% of theoutside circumference of wall 121. Each of wide horizontal slots 126, ona horizontal orientation, has a shorter dimension (the width) of about0.24 inch and a longer dimension (the length) of about 20% of theoutside circumference of wall 121. Each of vertical slots 125, on avertical orientation, has a shorter dimension (the width) of about 0.22inch and a longer dimension (the height) of about 20% of the height ofwall 121.

Feeding ports 123, 125, and 126 allow birds to access the seeds withinfeeder 100. In the preferred embodiment depicted in FIG. 4, feedingports 123, 125, and 126 are configured horizontally and vertically.Smaller birds such as titmouse, nuthatch, or various kinds of finch andsparrow readily use horizontal feeding slots 123 and 126. Larger birdswith thicker, blockier beaks like cardinals or grosbeaks use the uppervertical feeding slots 125, which preferably have a wider width toaccommodate larger beaks.

In the preferred embodiment, the width of narrow horizontal feedingslots 123 is narrower than that of the wide horizontal feeding slots126. For example, in an exemplary bird feeder of the invention, thewidth of wide horizontal slots 126 can be about 0.24 inch while thewidth of narrow horizontal feeding slots 123 can be about 0.20 inch.This allows the larger gray striped seeds to sift downward during useand these larger seeds can then be accessed and removed at the lowerlevel. Thus, by varying the opening size of feeding ports 123 and 126,both types of seeds may be fed at the same time.

Meanwhile, vertical feeding slots 125 are made wider to accommodate theblunter beaks of some bird species. They are also positioned near thetop of the feeding area because these larger beaked birds are alsotaller. In the preferred embodiment, vertical feeding slots 125 areabout 0.22 inch wide.

The arrangement of feeding ports 123, 125, and 126 on wall 121 may bedesigned in a number of ways and still be effective. For example, theremay be only one slot or a series of slots on wall 121. The slot or slotsmay be all run horizontally, or all vertically, or all on the diagonal,or in any combination of these orientations.

Feeding ports 123, 125, and 126 may be all the same length or they mayhave varying lengths. They may be all the same width, or they may havevarying width. Furthermore, they may also have varying widths within thesame length of slot.

In another embodiment of the invention depicted in FIG. 7, bird feeder700 does not include a container. As depicted, bird feeder 700 includestop surface 710. Preferably, top surface 710 extends beyond upperperimeter 722 to form rain guard 750. In this embodiment, bird feeder700 differs from bird feeder 100 in at least one aspect. That is, birdfeeder 100 includes upper perimeter 122 that is configured to be matedwith container 110, but bird feeder 700 includes upper perimeter 722that is configured to support top surface 710.

Filling cap 130 is configured to be mated with lower perimeter 124 ofbase 120. As shown in FIG. 4, lower perimeter 124 defines access 434 tothe interior of base 120.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a perspective view of an exemplaryfilling cap of bird feeder 100 as seen from the bottom. Filling cap 130includes top 132, handle 134, and lips 136. When filling cap 130 isattached to base 120, top surface 132 supports the seeds within birdfeeder 100. Handle 134 enables filling cap 130 to be attached on orremoved from base 120. Lips 136 provides a mechanism that securesfilling cap 130 onto lower perimeter 124 of base 120.

Preferably, top 132 has a dome shape as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6. The domeshape facilitates seeds within bird feeder 100 to fall along lowerperimeter 124. The features is useful because as the amount of seedsdecreases within bird feeder 100, the remaining seeds would tend to fallalong lower perimeter 124, resulting in an easier access by birds.

Preferably, handle 134 is substantially perpendicular to lips 136.Preferably, handle 134 has a semi-circular shape as shown in FIGS. 1 and6.

Preferably, lips 136 are configured to mate with corresponding tongues436 of lower perimeter 124 (see FIG. 4). Preferably, there are four lips136 and four corresponding tongues 436. This configuration allowsfilling cap 130 to be mated with base 120 when a user lines up four lips136 with four tongues 436, and then twists filling cap about 90 degreesin one direction so that tongues 436 and lips 136 interlock each other.

In another embodiment, filling cap 130 can be configured to be attachedto base 120 using another mechanism. For example, filling cap 130 can besnapped onto base 120 rather than being rotated into it.

When filling cap 130 is detached, seeds can be placed within base 120via access 434.

In still another embodiment, filling cap 130 is not completelydetachable from base 120. As shown in FIG. 8, base 820 of bird feeder800 includes lid 832 on bottom surface 830 of base 820. Lid 832 can bepivotally rotated about hinge 834 so that seeds can be placed in birdfeeder 800 via hole 836. A perch support associated with bird feeder 800is not shown for clarity.

Feeder 100 can be utilized by a user as follows. First, filling cap 130is separated from base 120. This can be accomplished by rotating fillingcap 130 relative to base 120 so that filling cap is detached from lowerperimeter 124. Next, Feeder 100 is turned upside down and seeds areplaced in feeder 100 through access 434 that is defined by lowerperimeter 124.

Next, base 120 and filling cap 130 are reunited. This is accomplished byrotating one or both of base 120 and filling cap 130 to secure themtogether.

The twist-and-open filling cap 130 is unique because it allows completefilling of feeder 100 with seeds. Other designs make it impossible tocompletely fill or waterproof the feeder, or make it very awkward indoing so, because they fill from the top. This simple, one handedoperation, allows the entire feeder 100 to be filled quickly and easily,yet filling cap 130 is not accessible to birds, strong wind, or rain.

Preferably, as shown in FIG. 2, base 120 further includes perch support140. Perch support 140, as depicted in FIG. 2, is configured to supportbird 210 to obtain the seeds through feeding ports 123, 125, and 126.Perch support 140 is connected to base 120 via spokes 142. Preferably,spokes 142 includes diagonal portion 144 and horizontal portion 146.Smaller birds can rest on diagonal portion 144 or horizontal portion 146to obtain food from feeding ports 123, 125, and 126. Larger birds canstand on perch support 140 itself as depicted in FIG. 2. Perch support140 can be located at the same elevation of wide horizontal slot 126.Perch support 140 can also be located at a lower elevation, e.g., up toabout five inches lower than wide horizontal slot 126.

If base 120 has a circular cross section with a base diameter, thenperch support 140 would be a ring with a perch diameter that is largerthan the base diameter. If base 120 has a cross section of a differentshape, e.g., a square or a rectangle, then perch support would have acorresponding shape, such as a four-sided “ring.”

Base 120 can be further configured to include rain guard 150. Rain guard150 as depicted in FIG. 2, is configured to keep rain from running intofeeding ports 123, 125, and 126, yet does not obstruct bird 210's view.In one embodiment, rain guard 150 is about one-half inch above thehighest point of feeding ports 123, 125, and 126. In another embodiment,rain guard 150 is located about three inches above the bottom of widehorizontal slot 126. In still another embodiment, rain guard 150 can belocated about five inches above perch support 140. The unique placementof rain guard 150 allows larger birds such as a cardinal to sit uprighton perch support 140, yet easily duck under to feed.

Preferably, rain guard 150 is flat and at right angle orientation towall 121 and is an integral part of base 120. Alternatively, as shown inFIG. 5, rain guard 550 has a dome shape. Preferably, rain guard 550 isdetachable from base 520. Rain guard 550 can be configured to have asnap-on fit. Preferably, rain guard 550 is equipped with ribs 552. Ribs552 adds strength to rain guard 550. In addition, if rain guard 550 isconfigured to have a translucent color, ribs 552 can refract light fromthe translucent color to make rain guard 550 more visible andattractive.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, rain guard 750 of bird feeder 700 isan extension of top surface 710.

The foregoing disclosure of the preferred embodiments of the presentinvention has been presented for purposes of illustration anddescription. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed. Many variations andmodifications of the embodiments described herein will be apparent toone of ordinary skill in the art in light of the above disclosure. Thescope of the invention is to be defined only by the claims appendedhereto, and by their equivalents.

Further, in describing representative embodiments of the presentinvention, the specification may have presented the method and/orprocess of the present invention as a particular sequence of steps.However, to the extent that the method or process does not rely on theparticular order of steps set forth herein, the method or process shouldnot be limited to the particular sequence of steps described. As one ofordinary skill in the art would appreciate, other sequences of steps maybe possible. Therefore, the particular order of the steps set forth inthe specification should not be construed as limitations on the claims.In addition, the claims directed to the method and/or process of thepresent invention should not be limited to the performance of theirsteps in the order written, and one skilled in the art can readilyappreciate that the sequences may be varied and still remain within thespirit and scope of the present invention.

1. A bird feeder comprising: a base configured to receive multiple typesof seeds, the base comprises a plurality of feeding slots located on awall between a lower perimeter and an upper perimeter of the base; afirst subset of the plurality of feeding slots comprising a firstfeeding slot having a first dimension sized to allow passage of smallerseeds from the base but block passage of larger seeds from the base saidfirst dimension defining a narrow vertical slot; and a second subset ofthe plurality of feeding slots comprising a second feeding slot having asecond dimension sized to allow passage of the smaller and larger seedsfrom the base; wherein the second subset of the plurality of feedingslots are located at a lower level nearer the lower perimeter of thebase than the first subset of the plurality of feeding slots, wherebylarger seeds can be accessed and removed at the lower level said seconddimension defining a narrow horizontal slot; and a third subset of theplurality of feeding slots comprising a third feeding slot having athird dimension sized larger than the first dimension.
 2. The birdfeeder of claim 1, wherein the second dimension is larger than the thirddimension.
 3. The bird feeder of claim 1, wherein all of the firstsubset of the plurality of feeding slots are narrow vertical slots. 4.The bird feeder of claim 3, wherein the first dimension is about 0.20inch and the second dimension is about 0.24 inch.
 5. The bird feeder ofclaim 1, wherein all the second subset of the plurality of feeding slotsare narrow vertical slots.
 6. The bird feeder of claim 1, wherein thesecond dimension is about 0.22 inch.
 7. The bird feeder of claim 1,wherein the second dimension is about 0.20 inch.
 8. The bird feeder ofclaim 1, wherein the second dimension is about 0.24 inch.
 9. The birdfeeder of claim 1, wherein the third feeding slot is located above thefirst feeding slot.
 10. The bird feeder of claim 9, wherein the thirdfeeding slot is a vertical slot.
 11. The bird feeder of claim 10,wherein the first dimension is about 0.22 inch.
 12. The bird feeder ofclaim 10, wherein the second dimension is about 0.20 inch.
 13. The birdfeeder of claim 10, wherein the third dimension is about 0.24 inch. 14.A bird feeder comprising: a base having a lower perimeter and aplurality of feeding ports above the lower perimeter, the lowerperimeter defines an access to an interior of the base, wherein a firstsubset of the plurality of feeding ports are sized with a firstdimension defining a narrow vertical port to allow passage of a firsttype of seeds but block passage of a second type of seeds and a secondsubset of he plurality of feeding ports are sized with a seconddimension defining a narrow horizontal port to allow passage of thesecond type of seeds, wherein all of the first subset of plurality offeeding ports and all of the second dubset of the plurality of feedingports are located on a wall of the base above the lower perimeter,wherein the second subset of the plurality of feeding ports are locatedat a lower level nearer the lower perimeter of the base than the firstsubset of the plurality of feeding ports, whereby larger seeds can beaccessed and removed at the lower level, and wherein a third subset ofthe plurality of feeding ports comprise a third feeding port having athird dimension sized larger than the first dimension; and a filling capconfigured to be attached to the lower perimeter during a feeding modeof the bird feeder, and detached from the lower perimeter during afilling mode of the bird feeder.
 15. The bird feeder of claim 14,wherein the filling cap includes a dome shape top.
 16. The bird feederof claim 14, wherein the filling cap includes one or more lipsconfigured to be mated with the lower perimeter.
 17. The bird feeder ofclaim 14, wherein the filling cap includes a handle.
 18. The bird feederof claim 14, wherein the filling cap includes a lid configured to rotateabout a hinge on the base.
 19. A bird feeder comprising: a base having aplurality of feeding slots and a lower perimeter, wherein the pluralityof feeding slots are located above the lower perimeter, wherein a firstsubset of the plurality of feeding slots are sized with a firstdimension defining a narrow vertical slot to allow passage of a firsttype of seeds but block passage of a second type of seeds and a secondsubset of the plurality of feeding slots are sized with a seconddimension defining a narrow horizontal slot to allow passage of thesecond type of seeds, wherein all of the first subset of the pluralityof feeding slots and all of the second subset of the plurality offeeding slots are located on a wall of the base above the lowerperimeter, wherein the second subset of the plurality of feeding slotsare located at a lower level nearer the lower perimeter of the base thanthe first subset of the plurality of feeding slots, whereby larger seedscan be accessed and removed at the lower level, and wherein a thirdsubset of the plurality of feeding slots comprises a third feeding slothaving a third dimension sized larger than the first dimension; and aperch support attached to the base along the lower perimeter.
 20. Thebird feeder of claim 19, wherein the perch support is located at anelevation ranging between the same elevation of the plurality of feedingslots and about five inches lower than the plurality of feeding slots.21. The bird feeder of claim 19, wherein the perch support is attachedto the base by a plurality of spokes.
 22. The bird feeder of claim 21,wherein at least one of the plurality of spokes has a diagonal portionand a horizontal portion.
 23. A bird feeder comprising: a base having aplurality of feeding slots located on a wall between an upper perimeterand a lower perimeter of the wall, wherein a first subset of theplurality of feeding slots are sized with a first dimension defining anarrow vertical slot to allow passage of a first type of seeds but blockpassage of a second type of seeds and a second subset of the pluralityof feeding slots are sized with a second dimension defining a narrowhorizontal slot to allow passage of the second type of seeds, whereinall of the first subset of the plurality of feeding slots and all of thesecond subset of the plurality of feeding slots are located on the wallbetween the lower perimeter and the upper perimeter, wherein the secondsubset of the plurality of feeding slots are located at a lower levelnearer the lower perimeter of the base than the first subset of theplurality of feeding slots, whereby larger seeds can be accessed andremoved at the lower level, and wherein a third subset of the pluralityof feeding slots comprises a third feeding slot having a third dimensionsized larger than the first dimension; and a rain guard attached to thebase at a position above the plurality of feeding slots.
 24. The birdfeeder of claim 23, wherein the rain guard is an integral part of thebase.
 25. The bird feeder of claim 23, wherein the rain guard isremovable from the base.
 26. The bird feeder of claim 23, wherein therain guard has a translucent appearance.
 27. The bird feeder of claim23, wherein the rain guard has a dome shape.
 28. The bird feeder ofclaim 23, wherein the rain guard has one or more ribs.
 29. The birdfeeder of claim 23, wherein the rain guard is about one-half inch abovethe plurality of feeding slots.
 30. The bird feeder of claim 23, furthercomprising a perch support attached to the base below the plurality offeeding slots.
 31. The bird feeder of claim 30, wherein the rain guardis about five inches above the perch support.
 32. A bird feedercomprising: a base having a wall located between an upper perimeter anda lower perimeter; a plurality of feeding slots located on the wall,wherein a first subset of the plurality of feeding slots are sized witha first dimension defining a narrow vertical slot to allow passage of afirst type of seeds but block passage of a second type of seeds and asecond subset of the plurality of feeding slots are sized with a seconddimension defining a narrow horizontal slot to allow passage of thesecond type of seeds, wherein all of the first subset of the pluralityof feeding slots and all of the second subset of the plurality offeeding slots are located on the wall between the lower perimeter andthe upper perimeter, wherein the second subset of the plurality offeeding slots are located at a lower level nearer the lower perimeter ofthe base than the first subset of the plurality of feeding slots,whereby larger seeds can be accessed and removed at the lower level, andwherein a third subset of the plurality of feeding slots comprises athird feeding slot having a third dimension sized larger than the firstdimensions; and a filling cap configured to be detachably attached tothe lower perimeter.
 33. The bird feeder of claim 32, wherein theplurality of feeding slots include slots of a uniform dimension.
 34. Thebird feeder of claim 32, wherein the plurality of feeding slots includeslots of varying dimensions.
 35. The bird feeder of claim 32, whereinthe plurality of feeding slots includes a dimension between about 0.20inch and about 0.24 inch.
 36. The bird feeder of claim 32, wherein thefilling cap includes a dome shape top.